Novell said yesterday the Department of Justice needs more time to investigate its sale of Linux patents to Microsoft.

The report by Novell, which came in a regulatory filing, confirms an exclusive report in The Post this month that the Justice Dept. was giving a Microsoft-led group’s $450 million purchase of 882 patents from Novell a “pretty serious review,” and could stop the deal.

Novell will give the DOJ more time to review the patent sale and agreed not to close the deal it reached in November prior to April 12, six months later. Novell said it remained committed to working with the DOJ as it conducted its review.

Novell said that on March 4 it had answered a DOJ second request for information.